Mark Esakoff is one of the principals in the jazz group Chasm. But back in the day he was the front man for a ‘80’s pop hair band. Mark called the band Mark Freddy and The Flanger Managers.

Now with the resurgence of retro rock, Mark decided to grab some of the music his band had recorded and put together a new album. This album is called Circular Reason. It is being released on Sticks & Stones Music, a label that Mark heads up with Michael Allen Whipple.

The personnel are eclectic at best. And the listing for the band may or not include their real names. If the names are fake it may because they really didn’t want anybody to know who they really were. The reason I say that is that the bass player is listed as Moon Dog Zephyr. Bohdi Jones is on keys and drums. David Woodford plays the tenor and bari sax. Penny Watson is on alto sax. Glen Hinman is also on bass. Sharing drum duties with Bohdi are Kevin Maravich and Rock Onandoff. Dennis Embry and Mark Cardinal are on guitars. And Mark Esakoff, better known here as Mark Freddy, is on vocals, keys and guitar.

The songs on the album were recorded between 1982 and 1989. This was in the heyday of the hair band craze. I wasn’t any different than anyone else. My wife and I had not only one, but two Cinderella albums. Mark and his band put a different spin on the pop rock music that was being played during that time.

What Did You Do To Your Hair is the first song. It has a touch of Talking Heads in it.

Peer Pressure has a slight funk presence mixed in with bubble gum pop.

You Love Triangles brings a slightly tougher rock beat to the album.

It’s So Hard is a fun and fast paced song. It made me think of a ‘80’s rock song that I couldn’t remember the title of.

A Poison kind of tune is Work Is A Four Letter Word. Only just a bit more mellower.

I liked the song She’s My Favorite Vice. This is a definite Talking Heads clone.

Other songs on the album follow the same vein. They are either Talking Heads kind of songs or Poison / Cinderella / any 80’s hair band you can think of style of music.

I’m not sure what drove Mark Esakoff to package these songs into an album. But whatever the reason, for me, the album comes off as a fun and entertaining goof on the whole ‘80’s music scene. Mark states that the songs weren’t really very serious to begin with.

For a fun and entertaining time with a not-too-serious hair band from the ‘80’s, Circular Reason might be worth a listen.

To find out how to get a copy of Circular Reason, visit www.sticks-stones.net. The site even has clips from the songs on the album for you to listen to.